Incubator.



PATENTED SEPT. 25, 1906.

J. L. NIX.

INOUBATOR. APPLICATION FILED NOV.21,1905.

rain 1697a,

cm, WASHINGTON, o. r:

JAMES L. NIX, OF HOMER CITY, PENNSYLVANIA.

INCUBATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 25, 1906.

Application fil d November 21,1905. Serial No. 288,461.

To all whom, it Win/y concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES L. Nix, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Homer City, Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and. useful Improvements in Incubators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in incubators, and has for its object to provide means for the proper regulation and distribution of the heated air used in the incubator.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of an incubator embodying my invention, the incubator being broken away longitudinally and vertically. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the cold-air screen employed in my invention. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical view in mid-section of the chamber in which the air-supplyis first received and heated before passing into the hot-air chamber. Fig. 4 is a horizontal view in mid-section of the re volving cap employed in my invention to regulate the ingress of air to the heating-chamber, taken along the line 4 1 of Fig. 3.

As indicated in the drawings, the incubator of my invention consists of an outer hous ing 5, which is entirely open at its bottom. About its lower edges I have provided a depending curtain 6, which may be made of any desired substance or material and which may be made of the same substance as the vertical walls of the casing 5, if desired. It may be flexible or inflexible, perforate or imperforate, the function of the curtain 6 being to prevent the disturbance of the air within the incubator by drafts created in the room where the incubator is in operation. I/Vithin the casing 5 the egg-tray 7 is mounted, the construction of the egg-tray and the means of its mounte ing being entirely immaterial to my inven tion. About the egg-tray in the form of my invention illustrated in the drawings I have provided a l1otair chamber 8. This hot-air chamber may be of any desired form and may be perforate or imperforate without departing from my invention. The chimney 9 1s vertically mounted within the vertical walls of the casing 5 and extends through the top 10. The object of mounting the chimney within the casing is to secure the utilization of all of the heat units generated by the source of heat-supply. This source of heatsupply is usually, though not necessarily, a lamp provided with a chimney of its own, whose top extends into the lower opening of the chimney 9. It is obvious that by mounting the chimney 9 within the casing 5 the air in the interior of the incubator will be unequally heated unless an appropriate means is provided for insulating the walls of the chimney 9 up to the point where it enters the hot-air chamber 8. To this end I have devised a cold-air screen 1. 1, which is a thin box mounted vertically within the casing and between the chimney 9 and the egg-tray 7 and outside of the heating-chamber 12, which is circular in form and mounted concentrically about the chimney 9.

The cold-air screen 11 is provided with an open or perforate bottom 13, while its walls, ends, and top are imperforatc, except that at or near the top of said cold-air screen 11 have provided the lines 14, which extend from the interior of the cold-air screen 11 to the exterior of the casing 5. By this means the air within the cold-air screen 11, when heated by the heat generated in the heatchamber 12, immediately rises and passes through the flues 14 to the exterior of the incubator. Thus the screen 11 serves to prevent the unequal heating of the eggchamber at the points around the heating-chamber 12.

Theheating-chamber 12 is closed atits bottom, while its vertical walls are provided at or near the bottom with the openings 15. Around the lower end of the heating-chamber 12 I have provided the encircling collar 16, provided with openings 17, which are adapted to register with the openings 15, and the cap 16 being revolved by the operator thus controls the influx of cold air to the heating-chamber 12.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to have secured to me by Letters Patent, is

1. In an incubator, an outer housing open at its bottom, and an egg-tray mounted within the housing above the plane of its bottom, substantially as described.

2. In an incubator, a casing open at its bottom, and provided at its lower edge with a depending curtain, substantially as specified.

3. In an incubator, a casing having an opening at its bottom and a depending curtain mounted on the edge of the opening, substantially as specified.

4.. In an incubator, a casing, an eggchamber within the casing, a heating-chamber vertically mounted within the casing, and means for controlling the influx of cold air to the heating-chamber, substantially as specified.

5. In an incubator, a casing, an egg-chamber within the casing, a heating-chamber mounted within the casing, and a cold-air screen mounted between the heating-chamber and the egg-chamber, said screen having a perforate bottom and being provided with a flue extending from the interior of the screen to the exterior of the casing, substantially as specified.

6. In an incubator, a casing, an eggcham ber within the casing, a heating-chamber mounted within the casing, a cold-air screen 11 mounted between the heating-chamber and the egg-chamber, and a flue extending from the interior of the cold-air screen 11 to the exterior of the casing, substantially as specified.

7. In an incubator, a casing, an egg-chamber within the casing, a heating-chamber mounted within the casing, and a cold-air screen 11 open at its bottom mounted between the heating-chamber and the eggchamber, whereby a current of cold air is caused to pass vertically through said screen and through said flue to the exterior of the incubator, substantially as specified.

8. In an incubator, a casing, a cylindrical heating-chamber mounted vertically within the casing, the outer wall of the heatingchamber being provided near its base with air-openings, a collar revolubly mounted upon the lower end of the heating-chamber and provided with air-openings adapted to register with the first-named air-openings, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES L. NIX.

Witnesses:

H. H. Sco'r'r, B. B. MOCONNAUGHEY. 

